PHL GC October Newsletter - Women's Connection

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TTN PHILADELPHIA GIVING CIRCLE

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

October, 2022

Dear Giving Circle members and friends:

Fall is in the air and, as the leaves begin to turn, so do our thoughts as we look to completing the circle of what “needs” to be done by year end. And yet, fall can also mean focusing on beginnings, such as the start of the planning cycle for what will be our key goals as we near 2023.

Our “Year of the Child” programming is also coming full circle. We hosted our third and final educational program for 2022 on SEP 13th entitled “Gun Violence & Philadelphia’s Children – a public health crisis”. It was a insightful and compelling opportunity to hear from inspirational people doing the hard work. To learn more about the program and our panelists, see below.

And fall at the Giving Circle means we revisit the year to determine how we can improve the next year as we gather at our Annual Meeting and Reception on November 10th. This is a special event for existing and prospective members, to hear from one of our 2022 grant recipients and to witness our unique form of collective giving in action. So, mark your calendars - we are sure you won't want to miss it!

Thank you all for supporting our mission. Let's make 2022 our greatest year yet!

With our appreciation,

Executive Council

TTN Philadelphia Giving Circle

To register for the event, click here.. Registration is $5.00.

In case you missed it, come read about our September 13th event below . . . .

September 13, 2022

Our third education forum of 2002 focused on gun violence and the impact that gun violence is having on our children. Our panelists deal with this impact every day. They talked about the trauma that young people experience and the lack of important counseling resources, but they also spoke about solutions i.e. local programs in hard hit communities that are making a difference.

When grass roots programs emerge from a need (such as YEAH Philly and Frontline Dads), they need to be seen, acknowledged and supported by local government and others in the community. These are the people and programs that are making a difference and it is important that we know about them. This incredible panel discussion gave us a brief glimpse into the situation and now it is up to us as well as others to join together to make a difference.

We would like to thank Helen Gym for moderating this educational program. And we want to give a special thanks to Monet, a junior in high school who spoke about the importance of investing in our schools, in counseling support, and in delivering resources directly to students – not just to counter gun violence, but to bring them hope as well. And, finally, we want to thank our panelists who are out there in the communities every day trying to reduce gun violence and its consequences. But, the best way to thank our panel is to say - we hear you.

If you were unable to attend this event and wish to learn more about it, you can click here to watch to video. Password is . . . . KL%7rHVK.

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran an article on September 14th about our program. The article is called "Philadelphia's kids are grieving alone from the far-reaching trauma of gun violence, advocates day."

'Youth advocates and city leaders on Tuesday discussed the impact of gun violence at an online roundtable event hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of The Transition Network Philadelphia Giving Circle, a philanthropic group of professional women, as part of a yearlong focus on the well-being of children."

If you wish to read the entire article, click here.

Year of the Child Campaign

We’re so pleased to be able to share with you so many wonderful things that have happened to date during the "Year of the Child." Most recently we’ve undertaken a “Diversity Initiative” in an effort to encourage small Philadelphia nonprofits led by people of color to apply for for one of our grants to be awarded in May. We encourage you to be in touch with us if you know nonprofits which might be interested in applying: kathygosliner@verizon.net

Our campaign is moving forward at fill tilt. As we turn to the last quarter of the year, we encourage you to renew your membership as soon as you are able — and certainly before the end of the year — so you can participate in our May meeting where we determine which nonprofits will receive our funds. It's a big highlight of our year, and where you can participate in collective giving in action.

Also, we are pleased to report that we have 22 new members who joined the Giving Circle so far this year. It’s always wonderful to see new faces, and we look forward to having more functions in person as people become more comfortable socializing, and attending functions together.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Giving Circle Member

Each month we feature one of our own Giving Circle members "in the Spotlight." This is a great way to get to know your fellow Giving Circle members and to learn why being part of our Giving Circle is important to them.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Past Grant Recipients

In honor of our 10th Anniversary, each month we feature one of our past recipients. This month we are featuring the WHY NOT PROSPER to which we awarded a grant in 2021.

Robin Tarzia

Meet Robin Tarzia. Volunteerism and philanthropy has always been a part of Robin's life. After leaving her career in education to raise her children, Robin, a single mom, became involved first in their school then later in community-wide nonprofits including Hub of Hope and Safe Harbor. Robin was drawn to causes that involved women, children and families sometimes at the most basic level.

During these years Robin sometimes wrote grant applications that would benefit the nonprofits she served so she was a perfect fit to become a member of the Giving Circle Grants Committee. These volunteers review grant applications then advocate on behalf of the applicants to the Giving Circle members who vote to determine who will received GC grants each year. Robin felt the weight of this responsibility – if she didn’t present their case in the best light, they may not receive the funding they so sorely needed.

When Robin first got involved with the Grants Committee, she was immediately impressed with how many local organizations there are in Philadelphia doing great work on behalf of different populations. She realized that they not only need monetary support but volunteers to fill in the gaps in staffing. She also watched as nonprofits pivoted to new ways to provide their services during COVID.

Robin’s commitment to volunteerism and giving back to her community has inspired her children to find their own ways to give back to their communities. They sometimes accompanied her at Safe Harbor, an organization which provides support for grieving children and families. This had special meaning for Robin since she had lost her husband when her children were still young.

As we now return to “life in person” Robin is looking forward to continuing her work with the Grants Committee.

What do you do if you’ve been incarcerated in LA and are released after six years? And in and out of prison for six years before that? And the last time you were on drugs was June 3, 1999 — only one year before you were released?

If you’re Rev. Michelle Anne Simmons, you go to your hometown of Philadelphia and spend six months looking for a job. Then you head to the library to find a book on how to start a non-profit. And you put your faith in the Lord.“The Lord gave me a vision and the vision pulled me forward,” says Rev. Simmons, of the early days in 2001 when, at age 27, she asked her church to partner with her to provide housing for women coming out of prison.

Rev. Simmons obtained her 501(c)(3), started writing grants and opened Why Not Prosper (WNP) with three beds in a building in Germantown. WNP currently provides 25 beds in three facilities in Germantown and has helped more than 1,000 women since 2001. On Sept. 20, Rev. Simmons cut the ribbon on her newest facility — a building in Harrisburg with 12 one-bedroom apartments.

“Focus and determination are my principles,” says Rev. Simmons, of what it takes to establish the many programs at WNP that help women find jobs, get an ID, receive counseling and mentoring, and single moms to get food.

In addition, there are programs to encourage graphic arts as a career, develop leadership skills, and help women recognize risk factors that lead to violence against women. In 2019, graduates of WNP started Sisters with a Goal, the social justice arm of WNP, which, Rev. Simmons says, “fights for our employment rights, parental rights and healthcare rights.”

But through it all, at the heart of Rev. Simmons’ vision, has been the ladies in her program at her church who have been with her since the beginning 20 years ago. “I was going to church and staying clean and helping others to stay clean. As I was growing and developing, I exposed the ladies to the same things I was doing — all healing at the same time.”

At each turning point, Rev. Simmons inspired the ladies to take the next step with her. As Rev. Simmons began attending Chestnut Hill College, she recalls telling the ladies, “we need to go back to school. Then we need to find our spiritual side. Now we need to pay our bills. And now we need to fight to get our kids back.”

She has been very impressed with the phenomenal job the committee leaders have done in setting up and organizing the grants process. It allows the reviewers to focus on the applications and the nonprofits who are so deserving of our support.

contributed by Susan Collins

“This is a lifetime journey to keep yourself together and rebuild your life,” says Rev. Simmons, who expects to receive her Ph.D in divinity in December. “I’ve kept people in my life who keep supporting me. I went to stay clean. I keep that positivity going. It’s partnerships like this and with the Giving Circle,” with its $25,000 gift to WNP in 2021, “that keep helping me and we keep on going down the road.”

To learn more about Why Not Prosper, click here.

contributed by Caroline Lacey